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Game Review: Quest For Glory: Shadows of Darkness
By Jason Strautman In recent years as computer games have Income more elaborate and complex productions, comparisons between the gaming industry and Hollywood have Income more frequent. Such comparisons seem even more appropriate now than they had in years past, as television-like cliffhangcr endings have started to appear in recent games such as Sierra's Quest for Glory III: The Wages of War. But unlike TV cliffhangers, then ending of QFG3 left gamers with more to anticipate than the plot, since the latest installment of the series. Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness (QF-G4), promises to offer advances in the interface that should prove almost as exciting as the story itself. QFG4's story starts almost immediately after the end of QFG3, where our hero was suddenly possessed by a mysterious evil force and left to a then-unknown fate. The main character starts the current game near the town of Mordavia, in an almost Transylvanian-like part of the world, without any of his possessions or any knowledge of who or what transported him. The hero must then not only discover why he was brought to Mordavia and find his way home but also must confront new and old foes alike to free Mordavia from oppression and sluggish economy. Former archenemies like Baba Yaga from the first game of the series and Ad Avis from QFG2 If fighting with swords and sweat isn't your thing, try playing as the Magic User. 68 INTERAC770/V Magazine make return appearances in this installment of the series to complement vampires, a cult known as the Dark Ones, Mad Monks, and other potentially unpleasant characters. QFG4 appears to be a bit darker than earlier installments in the series; the enemies are more cruel and vengeful than they have been in past games, and the sense of danger tends to be more impending. But this game cannot be considered horror in the true sense, since the Coles' trademark humor is liberally sprinkled throughout the text descriptions and dialogue. Comic relief comes mainly from the mad scientist Dr. Cranium (any relation to Corey Cole's title character of the Dr. Brain puzzle games is purely intentional) and his hunchbacked assistant Igor, but can be found just about everywhere else in the game as well. In many senses, QFG4's icon-driven interface is identical to that of its predecessor and even the VGA remake of QFG1, but a series of somewhat subtle improvements prevent Sierra from falling behind its competition. Perhaps the most significant of the changes is full-screen close-ups during dialog; characters' faces now fill half the screen when they are talking, rather than the mere fraction that they took in earlier Sierra games. As was the standard in QHG.i, players are able to choose multiple dialog paths from a menu during conversations. These paths are primarily used only for gathering information, and unlike some current adventures, the game does not appear to have any "wrong" dialog options. Another significant change in the interface is the tise of menus similar to dialog trees that give new meaning to the "do" or "hand" icon that has been used in all Sierra point-and-click adventures. Past games would simply assign meaning to an icon click; clicking on a door, tor example, was almost universally used as a way of opening that door. QFG4, however, rarely makes assumptions about what the player wants to do and instead presents a menu with a list of choices that might apply to tin- selected item. A door is no longer automatically opened, ami players may first choose to peer through the keyhole, listen to the other side, knock, or pick the lock. The hand icon is still assigned only a single meaning when there is but a single alternative, so simple actions such as taking an item are fortunately not complicated with excessive menus. As in all previous games of the series, players may create a new magic user, thief, or fighter character from scratch by selecting a general template and adding skills of their choice or they may import a character from any previous Quest for Glory game. Of course, QFG4 features an additional set of spells for magic users, like "Aura" that protects characters from the undead and "Glide" that lets players walk their heroes across water. And thieves should no longer feel ignored, since they will have a Thieves' Guild hidden away somewhere around Mordavia. Fighters, however, may get the most benefit from a new combat system that should be implemented once the game is finished. According to Sierra's promotional material, players should now be offered a choice of either arcade or strategic combat, so those with poor reflexes can still play the game from the fighter's point of view. And while many adventure game authors have been content with inventory-based puzzles and perhaps the occasional combat sequence, the Coles have broken with tradition by adding a few logic-based puzzles, similar to what one might find in Castle of Dr. Brain or The 7th Guest. Difficulty level can be set through the control panel, so the puzzles will not interfere too much with pure adventurers who prefer inventory puzzles. Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness appears to be a good combination of both innovative and familiar features. There will certainly be enough new options and fine tuning to prevent the interface from seeming stale or dated. But at the same time, the game is not so radically different from previous titles that it will be alien to experienced players; the humor, interlace, and tise of character statistics will all be sufficiently familiar to fans of the series. liven without these improvements, however, QFG4 should feature a well-written and entertaining story worth the wait. >rinted from Strategy Plus. December 1993. For subscription information call I 1542./ Start a new game or import your character from any prior Quest for Glory. A sinister setting and a sophisticated gaming system add up to an unparalleled adventure. Unravel a lot of puzzles — nearly three limes as many as found in other adventure games. ( Ihir.n lers i many of them as strange as this one) appear pill screen during conversation. ( ombat can he as deadly as today's hottest .made hits in an exercise in strategy. Incredible sound effects and a dramatic musical store form the backdrop for your adventure. Explore I to different exotic areas, meeting over 10 unique, amazingly animated denizens "/ Mordavia Category:Article